


Say Something

by cactuuar



Category: Final Fantasy XIII, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
Genre: Confessions, F/M, Heartbreak, Tragedy, Why Did I Write This?, this made me emotional
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-25
Updated: 2014-05-25
Packaged: 2018-01-26 10:31:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1685120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cactuuar/pseuds/cactuuar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a simple expression could change everything, could reveal a million emotions within a person, and the one emotion that was screaming out to her was the one she was afraid to see the most: love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Say Something

**Author's Note:**

> [I do not own the Final Fantasy XIII storyline/plot nor any of the characters]

The old world was gone, the new one afresh and anew and it flashed before their eyes for a brief moment, an escaping sliver of what was to come. The ten of them stood before the fallen Bhunivelze, crystal shards and chunks embedded into his form, the robes tossed around him torn and tattered, an expression of pain and anguish permanently carved onto his features. To Lightning, it was _fitting_ to see the once almighty god in shatters, after the entire journey they have been through, after his lies and threats their sacrifices, this is what was to be of them.

 The new Unseen Realm surrounded them, harsh winds of chaos whipping around their faces and tossing their clothing about. Light’s attention was not drawn to the god, however, for it was instead completely focused on the man who spoke with an almost toneless voice, accompanied by one of the many young girls who fell victim to Etro’s curse. Even now, she noticed, he stood strong and tall, ignoring the crumbling god and instead focusing directly at the group with a matching determined expression. His charge looked no different, no hint of sadness or regret, only determination was present on Yeul’s face. The countless other Yeuls appeared in the darkness, hidden within the chaos that was overflowing and being carried throughout by the strong winds, speaking in unison their fate and their decision to take on the role as balancer of life and death, one that Lightning herself almost took on moments before.

Their agreement to the role came as a shock to the group, though only to eight of them. Noel held a grimace and clenched his fists; Light’s eyes widened and rose eyebrows knit together in a hurt expression. The only thing running through both of their minds was that this was not fair. Both had a part in the destruction of the old world, it was clear, however this was not what Lightning planned to happen to her old rival or Yeul. The world she fought so hard to protect, to create—  they deserved to live in it as much as the others did. Granted, she could not save their souls, but how she _tried._ Caius, with a smug yet disappointed expression and tone, had taunted her to attempt to save him, to save Yeul, and how she tried during that battle. If it were not for the unseen chaos, for Yeul’s undying devotion to him that grew so large and so violent, he would have been saved as easily as everyone else before and after him. She knew he had to atone for his destruction of the timeline and his attempts of murder upon millions of innocents, but she also knew that he must have regret and anger towards himself during those centuries. Lightning knew he attempted to end himself; it would be a lie to say that it did not shock her in the slightest.

A powerful gust of chaos stormed past them, everyone shielding their faces from the blast. In a sudden moment of panic, Light’s ears fell deaf to Noel’s own shouts to Yeul as she found herself running straight into the blast, all the while shouting out for her rival. The man she hated. The man she swore to end in the past. The man who tried to kill her sister, the last of her family. The man who sacrificed everything for the sake of one girl. The man who taunted, injured, threatened, nearly _killed_ her countless times. The man whom she once found sleeping in the meadow in the old realm of Valhalla, the tulips swaying gently around him as she stayed next to him. The man who she could not stand yet could not help but wonder about. The man who has self-sacrificed himself to live in this Unseen Realm, balancing the old and new life, something she could never do in this or any other lifetime.

The man she loved.

Lightning panted, her steps ceasing as she spotted him in the midst of the chaos, Noel suspended by none other than her rival’s own hand, all too quickly before the brunette was gone in a flash, and another harsh gust of chaos blew over them. She shouted once more, her voice hoarse and shaking, her legs beginning to pick up speed once more in his direction. Fighting against the chaos, her pace slowed to a crawl, the winds beginning to push her back farther and farther away from where she last saw them, and slowly, she stretched an arm forward into the endless chaos, hoping to reach him somehow and grab onto him to tell him this was _wrong_ , this was _stupid_ of him, just as everything he has done in the past. To grab him for the last time before he disappeared into the darkness forever, to tell him that she hated him, to tell him that she could not stand the very sight of him or would rather see him alive than trapped here forever, only so she could keep fighting him over and over.

Everything was in a blur, her eyes barely being able to stay open against this chaos, the ground beginning to shake beneath her slightly. With a burst of anger, the rose-haired woman once again found herself shouting, her arm still outstretched into the sandy darkness around her, _“Caius!”_

Her only response was the whistling of the winds around her and harsh whips to her face.

“You don’t—  have to do this! Listen to me! This is a—   _stupid_ decision, Ballad, _please!”_

 Her emotions were showing freely, now, however she didn’t care. She _couldn’t_ care.

“You’ll be stuck here _forever!_ Is this really what you— want? You’ll be _trapped_ without anyone but Yeul and the—  chaos! Please listen, this _isn’t_ the right thing!”

For a brief moment, Lightning wondered if anyone was even listening, or if she was simply angrily yelling at the wind.

“You won’t be able to experience new things! You could be _happy_ , you could— be _free!_ You don’t need to do this, you _stupid_ fool!”

 Her pleas were desperate, her arm beginning to go numb from being held out so long.

 “I know I’m not one to talk, we were— we tried to kill each other, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think you deserve a second chance! I hated you, I wanted you to die, I hated you for— trying to kill Serah, but this isn’t _right!”_

Her knees began to give out, falling suddenly to the ground beneath her as she kept herself up with her arms.

_"CAIUS!”_

And in a brief and surprisingly sudden moment, the winds stopped, the chaos ceased to flow.

The rose haired woman panted, slowly bringing her head up to look at her surroundings, which were the same as before, except something in the far distance caught her attention. At the sight of a dark purple, she was off her knees and back on her feet, sprinting and stumbling towards him with a new burst of adrenaline. Perhaps she had been heard, or perhaps the chaos was simply getting ready for another strong gust; either way, the woman knew she could not slow down, despite almost tripping over her own feet several times. The other stood, and as she neared, she could see his expression of remorse and confusion, arms at his sides, hands clenched into fists. He was surprised by her words, her pleas and cries of pure emotion that she had hidden away in Valhalla, the bottled up feelings all released in a few simple words shouted into the chaos.

And he had heard every one.

To say that he was surprised by the sudden outbursts and rush after him would be an understatement. He was also quite taken aback by the fearlessness of her attempts, for no one in their right mind would run straight into the chaos out of their own will— except Noel and Lightning, apparently. He had sent the last of the Yeuls, the last reincarnation, out of her curse and with the others, with the one she loved truly, and he expected that to be the end of it. The others of their group were gone, having escaped along with Noel and Yeul, however only one remained, and she was sprinting towards him with intensity that rivaled that of her own in Valhalla. As she neared, her expression was clear and loud on her face: _anguish._ The emotion struck him, a pang of hurt aching in his chest. How could someone such as her feel pity for someone such as _him?_ A rival, a killer, a selfish bastard with no other thought for others but himself and the girl he vowed to protect. She was brave, a defender, selfless and persistent, everything that clashed with his own persona. He was certain that she hated him, he was so certain that she wanted him dead, when all he truly wanted was to leave with them, leave and discover the new world and discover what could be, what the timelines could not tell, see for himself what could become of _them_. The fire in her eyes as they crossed swords before in the dying world seemed just as if it were yesterday, the annoyance present in her actions, and it was then that he was sure that Lightning Farron hated him. So why was she now in front of him, her hands on his shoulders, desperately trying to get him to change his mind and give up this hellish role?

“— And you’re not even fucking _listening_ to me, dammit, you bastard! We can still get out of here, still get away—”

“I cannot, and you know it,”

“ _Fuck_ that, Ballad, just come _on!”_

“Lightning, please, this is my decision, none of it has to do with you.”

“ _Caius_ , you’re a fool! Just do this, you don’t have to stay here and rot away—”

 _“Lightning,”_  his voice was exasperated, yet he still found the strength to grab her arms from his shoulders and pull them away, “What are you doing?”

Her eyes flickered from the hands holding hers back to his lavender orbs, “Trying to save you, what else does it look like?”

“Why?”

 His eyes searched hers, searched her expression, searched for anything that might give a hint as to why she was still present in this dangerous amount of chaos, still in front of him with pleading cries. Her eyebrows knitted together, her eyes widening slightly as she opened and closed her mouth, words coming and dying on her tongue. The chance that she could say something that could change his mind lingered, yet he knew he had to look past the pity and go through with his decision, ignoring his own want of going with her in order to atone for the millions killed by the chaos, _his_ chaos. The rose-haired woman’s hands trembled, and it unnerved Caius the way they did so, yet he remained stoic and patient, watching as she took several gulps and finally choked out, “Because. . .I-I just. . .”

The silence bothered her, and she prefered to have the roaring winds of chaos around them then listen to herself utter these words, swallowing her pride and deciding to let Claire reach him instead of Lightning.

“I’m sorry that I— I couldn’t _do_ anything, I. . .I wanted to save you, I want you _there_ with _us,_ because you deserve just as much as we do, and. . .and it’s not _fair_ for you to— to suffer like this after everything we’ve done. . .I’m just— _sorry.”_

Lightning thought she had this planned out, she thought she could fight this and win, but this was obviously way over her head. The wetness of her cheeks burned, the shakiness of her voice making her want to stop talking all together, and the way his expression changed ever so slightly made her want to pull away and forget ever trying to change his mind. This entire thing was beginning to drive her up a wall, simply because she now could not, she now _knew_ what he was thinking, what he was feeling. Just a simple expression could change everything, could reveal a million emotions within a person, and the one emotion that was screaming out to her was the one she was afraid to see the most: _love._

“As am I,” he breathed, as if bearing the impact of a thousand hits, “As am I.”

Her eyes, glassy with stinging tears that she thought she wouldn’t have to experience, blinked up towards his, and she spoke with a broken whisper, “We could have a home, our own place with people to rely on and a warm family to go to whenever we wanted. . . _please_ don’t do this.”

The idea had crossed his mind millions of times before, a certain warmth settling over his chest every time the brief thought invaded his mind, and to hear her speak the same idea as his made his own hands tremble as they continued to hold hers. Lightning, no, _Claire_ was saying this, saying exactly what he was thinking, what he had always wanted, and he had no choice but to turn her away and make this sacrifice for her. Even if he knew she would never forgive him for continuing with his act of atonement, the fact that he would stay and look over her and the rest of her family made him feel the slightest bit better. Perhaps, as time went on, she would find it in herself to forgive him, to think of him every now and again, for he would always be with her, and he hoped she knew that. He hoped that through this small gesture, Claire would continue loving him and continue on with her ordinary life, just as he would have wanted.

As he ceased to tremble as he held her hands, she realized what was about to happen, and the tears began to flow quicker, burning her skin as the sudden energy started to stream from him into her, a bright purple light beginning to form at their joined hands. She cried, she yelled, she insulted him, yet behind it all, Caius could tell she was hurting in such a way that she never had in Valhalla against him. The energy began to grow and grow, the light shining brightly, and in a last moment of panic and emotion, he pulled her against his chest, his arms tightening around her form and attempting to stop the sobs that racked her shoulders. She banged a weak fist against his chest, all the while broken insults and sentences left her, the warmth of his arms being the breaking point for Claire. She did not want this to end, she did not want to leave him here while she and the rest of them thrived on the new world, the world that he belonged on just as much as they did, and she could tell that he wanted to leave with them. And how he _wished_ he could leave with them, leave and never turn back, have a family that would accept him and forgive his past mistakes, just as she did.

 Before they could do anything more, she was gone, the energy dispersing as soon as she disappeared away from his arms.


End file.
